Should Sam Burns have gotten relief on the 15th hole during the final round of the 2025 U.S. Open? It’s a question he’s going to ask for a long, long time.
Burns’ ball landed in the fairway but splashed and didn’t roll out, coming to rest in a wet, low spot after rains soaked Oakmont Country Club during Sunday’s final round. When Burns reached his golf ball, he called for a rules official who rules he was not able to take relief from casual water, and that’s when Burns contacted a second rules official.
The second official came over, but the opinion did not change. He was not given relief, and he then hit a poor shot. He walked off the par-4 15th with a 6 on the card and essentially dropped out of contention.
But was it the right decision?
Rule 16.1 in the Rules of Golf discusses “Abnormal Course Conditions,” including temporary water. As the video shows above, there’s the presence of water when stepping close to Burns’ ball, but it was not as present near his stance.
Per the rule, “interference exists when any one of these is true: an abnormal course condition physically interferes with the player’s area of intended stance or area of intended swing, or the player’s ball touches or is in or on an abnormal course condition.
“If the abnormal course condition is close enough to distract the player but does not meet any of these requirements, there is no interference under this Rule.”
This is where fans’ opinions on social media – and Burns’ – differs from the two rules officials, who determined the abnormal course condition was close enough to distract him but didn’t meet any of the requirements. Burns’ ball was not in standing water, nor was it physically interfering with his stance.
This does not mean there wasn’t water present, but rules officials determined it wasn’t egregious enough to allow for a free drop.
“That fairway slopes left to right. That’s kind of the low part of the fairway there,” Burns said. “When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up. Took practice swings and it’s just water splashing every single time. Called a rules official over, they disagreed. I looked at it again. I thought maybe I should get a second opinion. That rules official also disagreed.
“At the end of the day, it’s not up to me, it’s up to the rules official. That’s kind of that.”
Ultimately, Burns shot 40 on the back nine and struggled Sunday, signing for a 78 and finishing five shots behind J.J. Spaun.